Storage-battery electrode.



om 1 0 M r. .Vw N m m. 3 L p: A m W H I M m D 6 m a, 4 m M a P J. W. AYLSWORTH. STORAGE BATTERY ELECTRODE. APPLICATION FILED APE 28,1905

T q 9w 1 llllllln- IIIIIIIII I IIIIIII EIIIIIIII Attest; I z 9 4 Mm PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

J. W. AYLSWORTH.

STORAGE BATTERY ELECTRODE.

APP LIGATION FILED APR.28, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fizawrziar:

y w 71. j? {M rinrran 1 JONAS W. AYLSWORTH, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO EDISON STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STORAGE BATTER'i I' 3f! LECTRODE Application filed April 28, N05. Serial ll'o. 25?,87'5.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jonas W. AYLswosru,

citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State electrodes in which the active mass consists of nickel hydroxid, as in the well-known Edison battery, and my object is to provide a simple and effective electrode for this purpose.

The invention depends upon the fact that hydrated peroXid of nickel-l li(OH) -'can be formed in and plated out of a cyanid solution electrolytically. Such a hydrated peroXid is electrically conducting and unlike metals in a plating bath it deposits on the anode instead of on the cathode. Consequently, no deposit takes place on the cathode, which will not be affected by the hydrogen developed thereon, except to the extent that it will be very perfectly cleaned by the reducing and mechanical scouring action of the hydrogen gas. The anode is also unailected for the reason that in the alkaline solution used, any oxygen developed thereon serves to form the nickel peroXid, as will be explained, which subsequently deposits on the anode. This phenomenon relating to the electrolytic formation and deposit of the hydrated peroXid of nickel can be utilized in connection with the manufacture of storage battery electrodes by employing the supports as the anodes, upon which the active material is deposited in the electrolytic bath, or instead, the deposited peroXid may be continuously or intermittently removed from the anode on which it is deposited, and'be employed in connection with any suitable electrode structure, as for instance, the ordinary perforated pockets of the Edison battery.

In order that the invention may be better understood, attention is directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a suit- Specification 0:? Letters Fatent.

Patented Marchfi, 1908.

able apparatus used in connection with the manufacture of hydrated peroxid of nickel electrolytically, when the latter is not to be employed directly, but is to be removed from the anode on which it is deposited and separately used in connectionwith the electrode support. 2 a sectional view showing one form of anode on which the deposit may he made, where the latter is to be employeddirectly. Fig. 3 an enlarged sectional view, showing a small portion of one of the plates with the deposit thereon. Fig. 4. a view corresponding Fig. 2,- with the two plates reversed and riveted together, showing the complete electrode.

Fig. 5 a sectional VIEW showing a modified form of electrode, wherein the deposit takes place within a spongy conducting mass. Fig. 6 an enlarged sectional View, showing a part of Fig. 5. 1 Fig. 7 a sectional view of the modified form of electrode, where the deposit takes place on both sides of an oppositely perforated plate. Fig. 8 an enlarged sectional view of a part of Fig. 7, Fig. 9 a sectional view, showing a further modification where the deposit. is efiected on a corrugated conducting plate. Fig. 10, a greatly enlar ed sectional detail of Fig. 4 andFig. 11 a similar detail of Fig. 9'.

In these views corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals oi refer ence.

Referring first to Fig. l, I show a lating tank 1, made of any suitable material with the cathode 2 therein, formed of a plate or insoluble material not effected by electrolysis when used as a cathode in a cyanid solution, such as graphite or iron, or nickel or cobalt, or nickel-cobalt alloy. The anode 3 is in the form of a long endless strip, such as nickel or cobalt, or nickel-cobalt alloy passing over rollers 4 and driven in any suitable way, as for instance, by an electric motor 5'.

Bearing on this anode strip are two brush wheels or scrapers 6, for removing material deposited on the anode, as will be understood Current is en lied froma latin dcnamo? thdCOIlHGOlJlOIlS being obvious. With such an apparatus (which of course is merely illustrative) I form the active material elecis addedto a solutionof a soluble nickel-salt, such as the sulfate '(NiSOQ or the chlorid '(NiCl until the precipitate which at first forms, is

nearly all redissolved. To this solution, I

then add preferably an .equal volume of per cent. solution of potassium hydroxid,

(KOH) both solutions being preferably hot. Good results can be secured when 'a much smaller volume of the alkaline solution is 10 employed, but preferably a great excess of alkali is used, in order to reduce the likelihood-of the anode being attacked electrolytically. VVhe'n such a solution is employed, (for instance in the tank 1) the current results in the electrolytic deposition of the h drated .peroxid of nickel on the anode 3, w 'ch deposit may beremoved by the revolving brushes 5, as will be understood. With this solution, the plating is preferably carried on at a high rate (for instance .5 ampere per square lIlCh, or even more) since in this way the deposit 'is detached more easily than when the deposit takes place slowly.

(2) A solution of cyanid of potassium (KCy) is first saturated with nickel cyanid (NiCy,,) after which an equal volume of 20 per' cent; potassium hydroxid: (KOH) is added. To the clear solution thus obtained, 1. then add a quantity offcyanid of nickel, which remains as a precipitate in the solu 1.5011 and the amount of which may be varied within widelimits. With such asolution, i he, plating operation is preferably carried on as rapidly asin the first example. "-As the niche peroxid is plated out of the solution, it will be automatically regenerated from the c anid of nickel precipitated therein. As t 's precipitate t us becomes dissi ated, additional quantities o1 nickel cyani ,may be added to the solution from time to time. Instead'of using nickel cyanid for this purpose, nickel hydrateNi(OI-I),, may be v used, although not so efl'ectively."

solution made in accordance with the second example gives the best results, par' ticularl when the process is employed for depositing the active material directly on the electrode support, as I shall explain, since 'the deposited peroxid is very pure" and there are no acid radicals in the solution to-interfere with the de osit. With the solution ffirst described, sue a result might take place,

but that solution is entirely useful wherethe' process is employed for manufacturing. the active material inde endently of the 'elec- "trode support and w ere very thick layers of the active material are .not necessary.

It will be understood that many other solutions from which nickel peroxid ma be 6 ...plated, may be employed, as for exam 0, a solution of the dou le cyanid of nicke and soda, with an excess of sodium hydrate. Double cyanids of lithium, calcium and barium with nickel may also be used, as well 5 as combinations of such cyanids.

' It will be evident that instead of depositing the active/material on an anode from which the active material is removed either continuously, or from tiuie to time, the anode itself may constitute the electrode support, whereby the electrolytic deposit of the active material on that support willbe carried out as one of the steps of a rocess for making I electrodes. A number o- -examples of elec trode supports adapted to receive the electroly tic deposit are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Referring first tov Figs. 2, 3-, 4 and 10, I take two plates 8, having minute openings punched therein, so as to form projecting burs, (Fig. 3) and these plates are placed together with the burs extending outwardly and temporarily held by clips or bands 9 (Fig. 2). They are now used as anodes in a suitable plating bath, preferably in connection with the solution made according to the second example above described, and the nickel hydroxid is deposited on the two plates as shown, its adhesion thereto being increased by reason of the projecting burs. After the deposit hastaken place, the plates areseparated and reversed and are held together by rivets .10 (Fig. 4) to complete the electrode. With such an electrode the relatively thin. layers of active material and the 5 numerous projecting burs extending through the same, make it unnecessary to employ separate flakes of conducting material,fas is desirable where comparatively thick masses of active material are to be used. 100

In Figs. 5 and 6 I illustrate another arvrangement in which a pocket is formed of two perforated plates .11, with an interior sponge-like or honeycomb mass of conductinnumerable connecting cells as disclosed, for instance, in the application of Thomas A. Edison filed March 30, 1.905, Serial No. 252,929, which also explains several processes for making such a spongy mass. Such an electrode is used as the anode in the'plating bath-and the nickel peroxid will be deposited within the spon e-like conducting mass, so as to substantially fill all the pores or cells thereof, after which any-of the per oxid adhering to the outside of the plates 11 maiy'be scraped ofi'.

n Figs. 7 and 8, a plate 13 is formed with oppositely punched openings, formin burs- 14 (Fig. 8) extending outwardly on t e opposing faces. The deposit takes place on the two faces of this plate which may be then used directly as an electrode, or instead, one or more of the plates 13 maybe arranged between the two plates 8 (Fi 4'), after which all the plates Wlll. be riveter together, as will be understood.

In Figsat) and 11, I illustrate an arrangement wherein a plate 15 is formed with paral-' lel channels or corrugations therein, which mg flakes or scales welded together to form 105 Ofcourse, of plates or other' elecmany other forms be employed than those trode supports may described, the essential idea being to pro-' vide an arrangement by which the active material may adhere tenaciously to the anode support on which it is deposited. I find, however, that where the? deposit takes place slowly from solution the latter should be kept at about 80 degrees centigrade, and if not too thick it v ill adhere satisfactorily to a plain plate, neither corrugated nor perforated. It will be understood that in any event the anode or electrode support on which the active material is deposited should be made of some material not affected by electrol sis in alkaline sol1 1tion, and capable of good contact .with the active material, preferably sheets of metallic cobalt-or cobaltnickel alloy, or sheet steel plated ith c0- balt or cobalt-nickel alloy, as described in the Edison application above referred to.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. A storage battery electrode, comprising a conducting support and electrolytically deposited hydrated peroxid of nickel applied to the same, substantially as set forth.

2. A storage battery electrode, comprising a conducting su port and hydrated eroxid of nickel electro ytically deposited substantially as se'tforth.

3. A storage battery electrode, comprising a perforatediplate and electrolytically deposited hydrated peroxid of nickel applied thereto, substantia ly as set forth.

, 4. A storage battery electrode, comprising a perforated plate and hydrated peroxid oft e'reon,

nickel electrolytically deposited thereon, substantially asset forth.

5. A storage battery electrode com rising two 0 posed perforated plates and e ectrolytica ly deposited hydrated, peroxid of nickel between the .said plates, substantially as set forth.

6. A storage battery electrode com rising two 0 posed perforated plates and e ectrolytica ly deposited hydrated peroxid' of nickel between the said plates and deposited directly thereon, substantially as set forth.

7. A storage battery electrode, comprising A two 0 peroxi on the inner set'forth.

*8. A storage battery electrode, comprising two opposed conducting plates, a metallic conducting s onge maintained between said plates and e ectrolytically depositedactive material in said sponge, substantially as set forth.

9. A storage battery electrode, comprising two 0 posed perforated plates, a conducting metal ic sponge between said plates and active material electrolyticallydeposited within said sponge,- substantially as set forth. 10. A storage battery electrode, compris ing twoopposed' perforated plates, a metallic sponge between said plates and hydrated peroxid of nickel electrolytically deposited in said sponge, substantially as. set forth.

This specification signed and "witnessed this 26th day of April 1905'.

, JONAS; w. AYLswoiarrr' Witnesses:

FRANK L. DYER,

ANNA R. KLEHM.

p(posed contacting plates and hydrated of nickel electrolytically deposited faces thereof, substantially as 

